Pneumatic carrier



Aug-'19, 1930. c. s. JENNINGS A PNEUMATIC CARRIER Filed May 17, 1929 Il. E 111,111,114 E 'llat lIIIIIIII/I LAMP/'J1 o cn bq@ UNITE Patented Aug. 19, i930 CHESTER s. JEiviviives; oEsYRAcUsE, lNEW YCRR, AssicNoR To THE'Laivis'oiv Coivr- PANY, E sYRaCUsE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION or MASSACHUSETTS PNEUMATIC CARRIER Applicatonled May 17, 1929. .Serial Na-63,773.

This invention relates to pneumatic despatch tube carriers and more particularly to indicating means arranged thereon, thus permitting, for example, a ready identification acteristics, suchine'ans being associated with of the, station from which vthe carrier is transmitted or for which it is intended.

In pneumatic despatch systems it is com-- while analogous" conditions exist inthe casel of morecomplex systems.V Under such 'crcumstan'ces it is often desirable to provide the carriers with adjustable means yto afford suitable indicia to designate the receiver or the sender of the carrier. .Under other' conditions it is sometimes desirable to classify' certain carriers in different groups, for example, for immediate anddelayed attention ofv the receiver. v

The present invention provides means which may be readily applied toa standard carrier, without necessity formaterial alteray tion thereof vand without aecting its lstructural strength, capacity, or pneumatic charthe` cylindrical Wall ofthe carrier, adapted for application at any desired point longitudinally of the carrier, and not interfering with the assembly of the usual parts thereof.

The present invention more. specifically. provides a plurality, for example apair of` index rings which may be provided with suitable index characteristics or symbols and,

which may cooperate .with suitablesymbols upon the carrier wall and whichzarefinde-v pendently rotatable to a plurality of positions I dental rotation out of the position to which respectively, whereby Jche various possible relations of therings to each other and the car- -rier wall may afford a relatively large numbei of indicating combinations. Preferably the rings are positively locked against accithey are adjusted and yet may be .readily moved out of kor released from their locked position without thenecessity yfor the manipulation of extraneous locking means. Preferably the rings are arranged with a resiliently yieldable velement therebetween,

thereto which, when (displaced, or deformed by the locked position.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. l is an elevational viewof a carrier withA the improved identifying means applied kF ig. 2 yis an enlarged section of one end off the carrier `taken along the axis yof the saine;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the carrier showing one of the rings in its released position and the undulatory spring substantially iattened;and f vFig. 4L is a view of the two rings, the spring therebetween and the locking elements therefor, in disassembled relation. ,A

Referring to the accompanying drawings, and more particularly to Fig. k1 thereof, the carrier may be of any suitable type, wliether the access opening be at the, side or at the end, but is here shown, for example, las provided with cylindrical body portion or shell-l and a felt'head 2 at one end with the usual flexible washer G ,lieldin place thereby. z 'A suitable cover Sis secured to the other end of the carrier ,byk a hinge et and normally locked in place by a fastening element 5 to 'afford access to the interior of the carrier.

In accordance with the .present` invention, twoadj acent index rings 7 yand 8 are arranged at a suitable point ylongitudinally ofthe car-.

'rier, beinghere shown as adjacent to 4one end of the carrier. An annular spring 9 is disposed between the` rings. `VVh'enfuncompressed, this spring is sinuous orundulatory, as shown in Figs. 4 and l whereits sinuosityis somewhat exaggerated. The edges of the rings remote from'the spring, have one or more outstanding protuberances ll whose lateral edgesgpreferably extend substantially' at right angles to the planes of the rings. An abutment and locking member 12, preferably a ring7 is secured by rivets or otherwise to the body of the carrier 1 adjacent to each of the rings 7 and 8. Each locking member has a plurality orl rectilinear depressions or recesses 14 which are adapted to interiit with the protuberances 11 so as positively to lock the rings against rotation as long as said parts are interengaged.

Preferably the ring 8 may be provided with an annular series of index symbols which, in the present disclosure, are illustrated as numerals and which may correspond in number to the number of recesses in the corresponding locking element. The ring 7 is provided with an opening 15 which is movable into registration with any one of an annular series of symbols upon the casing to render one of the same visible when the vring is rotated to the corresponding position. Preferably the undulations ot the spring 9 are so slight that it is substantially flattened by a movement of one o the rings 7 or 8 toward the other ring to Yan extent sufficient to release its lug 12 from locking engagement with the corresponding recess 14, as shown in Fig. 3. Ac-

cordingly the rotation o both of the rings at the same time is impossible.

If the body'portion ot carrier 1 is formed of metal, the rings 7 and 8 may directly engage the same, the series of symbols under the former being directly applied to the casing wall. carrier, the wall of the casing is of nonmetallic material such as rubber, a metal sleeve 20 may be secured by rivets 21 to the cylindrical wall of the casing, said sleeve having an annular flange '9.2 disposed between the end of this cylindrical portion and the washer 6. It is evident, however, that even when the sleeve 2O is employed, the dimensions of the carrier, both diametric and longi` tudinal, are not appreciably increased, the capacity of the carrier is not decreased, the sturdiness of connection between the carrier head and body 'portion is not adversely afected, and the index device, being independent of the carrier head, may be located wherever desired.

In the use of a device of this character, the ring 7 ordinarily'may be rotated so that the opening 15 exposes the selected symbol and then has its protuberant portion or portions 11 engagedl with corresponding recesses 14 o1" the adjoining locking element 12 to hold the ring inthat position. Thereupon the ring S may be moved axially toward the ring 7 to permit the rotation of ring 8 so as to bring the desired symbol thereon into a position beside the symbol exposed by the opening upon ring 7. Thus in the position of the element shown in Fig. 1, the symbol 7 is visible through the opening 15, and the symbol O is disposed adjoining the same due to the positioning of the ring 8. Y

It accordingly is evident that I have provided a simple means for providing a large It, as in the illustrated type ofv movable in opposite directions in order to bereleased and rotated to a new position and since accidental rotation of one ring while the other ring'is being adjusted is impossible. Vhile I prefer to use the positive locking means provided by the interengaging teeth 11 and recesses 14, I contemplate that the.

present arrangement of a spring Vinterposed between adjacent index rings may also be useful independently of the use of such positive locking elements, and regard such use as within the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A pneumatic despatch carrier comprising a body portion, av pair of rotary index rings carried by said body portion, resiliently yieldable means interposed between said rings and urging them oppositely in an axial direction, and abutment elements engaging the respective rings to limit such axial movement.

2. Apneumatio despatch carrier comprising a cylindrical shell, a pair of rotary index rings encircling the shell, a sinuous spring interposed between said rings and urging them oppositely in an axial direction, and an abutment element normally engaging each ring to limit such axial movement.

3. A pneumatic despatch carrier comprising a body portion, a pair of rotary index rings carried thereby, an undulatory annular spring coaxial with said rings and interposed between them, said spring urging the rings oppositely, and a fixed abutment ring normally engaging each index ring to limit the movement of the latter.

.4. A pneumatic despatch carrier comprising a cylindrical body portion, a pair of rotatable index ringsmounted upon the body portion, retaining means normally engaging the remote edges of the respective. rings to prevent rotation thereof, and a compression spring interposed between the rings urging them axially in opposite directions into cngagement with the respective retaining means, the maximum axial movement permitted by the compression spring being suficient to permit but one ring at a time to be disengaged from its retaining means.

j 5. A carrier for pneumatic despatch systems comprising a casing, a pair otannular index rings thereon, said rings being rotatable about the carrier to any of a plurality of indicating positions, resilient means between the rings, and abutment velements upon i the casing having portions with which the edges of the rings are normally held in in-V teritting engagement, -the movement of either of the ringsfrom saidintertitting engagement permitting its rotation to a new indicating position.

6. A carrier for pneumatic despatchfsystems comprising a casing, a pair of annular index rings thereon, said rings being rotatable about the carrier toy any of a plurality of index rings thereon, said rings beingrotatable about the carrier to a plurality of indicating positions, resilient means between the rings tending to move them axially in opposite directions, and abutment elements upon the casing, said elements and rings having protuberances and recesses normally held by the action of the spring in interlit'ting engagement positively to lock the rings against rotation7 the axial movement of one ring toward the other compressing the spring and serving to disengage the locking elements of said axiallyfmoved ring so as to permitits rotation of a new indicating position, the resilient means having a limited compressibility soy that both of the rings can not be rotated at the same time.

8. A 4carrier for pneumatic despatch systems comprising a casing, a pair of indicating rings thereon, abutment elements upon the casing adjoining the remote `edges respectively of the rings, said elements and rings having complementalinterlitting protuberances and recesses normally positively locking the rings against rotation, an annular spring of normally undulatory form between the edges of the rings normally urging them axially into locked position, they movement oli-one of the rings axially toward the other flattening the spring until the ring is released from locked position.,

9. A carrier for-pneumatic despatch systems Comprising a casing, a pair of indicating rings thereon, fixed abutment elements -upon the casing adjoining the remote edges respectively of the rings, said elements and rings having protuberances and recesses positively locking the rings against rotation when in interlitting engagement, an annu- -lar spring between the edges of the rings normally holding them in locked position, the movement of one of the springs toward the other tending to flatten the spring and release that ring, van annular series of symbols on the casing under'one of the rings, that ring having an opening to make one of the symbols visible,the other ring having a plurality of symbols movable into axial alignment with that opening, the release of one ring from its locked position flattening the spring so that the other ring is held` against release until thefirst ring is locked, the 'resulting limitation Vof ring movement preventing the opening Jfrom being moved out of registration with the annular series of symbols. n

10. A pneumatic despatch carrier having a cylindrical shell, an index ring encirclingthe shell, said ring being axially movable, a fixed abutment at one side of the ring for limiting axial movementof the ring, means 'at .the other side of the ring constituting a spring abutment, and a spring mounted upon the carrier shellL between said ring `and the spring abutment, said spring normallyy urging the ring toward said ixed abutment.

l1. A pneumatic despatch carrier having a body, an index ring carried by the body,

the ring being axially movable relativelyv tol the body, abutment means for limiting axial movement of the ring, and a sinuous spring encircling the body and arranged to urge the ring toward the abutment.

12. A pneumaticy despatch carrier comprising a head and ya cylindrical body, arotary index ring-y carried bythe body,the ring being axially movable relatively to the carrier body, an abutment for limiting axial movement of thering in one direction, and aspring mounted upon the cylindrical wall of the carrier body and arranged to urge the ring axially toward the abutment. Y

Signed by me at Syracuse, New York, this fourteenth day of May, 1929.`

` CHESTER S. JENNINGS. 

